Governance networks in politics

In this chapter Dimitris Christopoulos provides an overview of governance networks in politics. Governance is examined both as a generative process to political structure as well as the product of political relations. The author outlines key parameters for capturing network properties of political action with a particular focus on political power and decision making. Of particular interest are the mechanisms through which agent relations affect power structures and the impact this has on governance outcomes. The key claim is that governance network topology is shaped by structural parameters, such as centralization levels as well as political structure, such as the rules of interaction among agents. The author argues that studies of governance ideally combine a focus on the quality of agent interactions, their political resources, resource transfers, power hierarchies, and actor values.